Hear My Scream
by FreakazoidChimpanzee
Summary: If the title and character listed at the bottom didn't give it away, this is a Starscream-centric fic. It will have Mech on Mech action in the future.
1. The Scream

Starscream was no moron. He was paranoid, short-tempered and sometimes unpredictable… but not a moron.

At the Academy, he had been the top-ranking student. Considering all of the prejudices against him for being a seeker from a militant nation called Vos, he had done inconceivably well. His creators wanted him to be a warrior, but science called to him. It was almost as natural and easy as flying for him. His wit was as fast as his flight capabilities and he planned on putting both to great use. He would be an Explorer!

He did all he could to get into the Academy of Science. Starscream was the youngest mech to ever be qualified to attend, and while there underwent the pressures of being 'out of place' in more than one way. Never stepping down from a challenge, he worked long and hard through his studies. He ignored the harsh words of the students that were sparklings of elite, even though every word stung him to the spark. Starscream knew just one poorly chosen word around the elite brats would have him kicked out of the academy faster than a shot to the spark could kill him. At the time, he would have preferred a shot to the spark over being kicked out.

He probably would have never had a friend throughout his entire duration at the academy, but then a gentle giant came into his life. Skyfire. The curious elite was his best friend. The only one he could confide in, the only one that made the Academy bearable enough to suffer.

Starscream would have been the equivalent of a valedictorian upon graduation… if Skyfire hadn't crash landed on Earth… and Starscream hadn't been blamed… That was the end of his future as a scientist. He was horrified by his friend's fate, and blamed himself for being unable to find him… to help him. He was angered that all of the elites pointed fingers at the 'dirty, violent battle drone', accusing him of murder. Around this loss, and close to his impending trial over his missing cohort, he had received news that Vos had been destroyed by a faction that later would be known as the Autobots.

The information on the attack informed him that his future trine-mates had been killed, as well as his creators. Trine-mates were acquired through years of courtship and negotiation. It required the blessings of every living creator (usually six) as well as the complete acceptance and trust of the future trine-members. There was a ceremony when all three trine-members became the appropriate age to be considered adults. He had planned to be through with the Academy with enough time to spare to help plan the ceremony. Then the attack...

He would never graduate from the Academy. He would never get Skyfire back. He would never become an Explorer. He would never see his family again. He would never have trine-mates. Without a trine, he would go crazy soon after obtaining adulthood, and die alone. He would probably die alone sooner than that... if he was deactivated after his trial...

His spark was filled with so much grief and rage. He curled up on himself in his containment cell and let out a spark-wrenching screech. It inevitably fried his vocals, destroying everything glass within a five-mile radius.

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A.N. Hello, I'm new and not accustomed to writing fanfiction, but I am looking forward to it. I've lurked on FF for many moons, but only recently decided to try my hand at writing. I would appreciate painfully honest critiques that leave me sobbing on the floor. Trust me, I'll get over it. I'd also appreciate it if anyone could recommend a Beta. Thank you!


	2. The Pit

Thank you very much for the positive encouragement 9aza, Spoon, and Wannabe Starscream! 9aza, I really hope you don't hate this chapter, as the background stuff started getting lengthy... Hopefully I can also address some of your curiosities in a later chapter, Wannabe Starscream. :) Spoon, your name made me smile, and thank you for the positive review! :D I really hope this chapter turned out well. Once again, if you see horrifyingly awful misspellings/grammatical errors/retardedness, lemme know. :)

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Starscream remained in his containment cell for several deca-cycles.

While there, he heard that shortly after the destruction of Vos many elites had joined the 'Autobot' faction, or made their alliance with them obvious. Around the same time, many disgruntled mechs that were sick of elites forcing them into positions of servitude, looking down on them, or simply appalled by what had happened to Vos, fought back. Out of the struggles, two main mechs came to light. The ordained and somewhat reluctant Autobot leader was Optimus Prime. The instigator of the revolt and leader of the Decepticons was eventually known to be Megatron.

Cybertron was at war.

Everything Starscream knew and loved was gone. He wanted to fly away, to be with the trine he almost had. Every time he dreamed his thrusters kicked on lifting his metal body up until he either slammed into the top of his small cell or woke up before he made impact. He was going crazy.

To relieve his boredom, and hopefully keep his mind together, he began pushing away all thoughts of the ones he had loved out of his processor. No more creators, no more Skyfire, and no more _trine_! The only loves he allowed back into his thoughts were flight and science. He clung to memories of his militant flight training as a sparkling, and complex coding and scientific advancements the Academy was working on during his stay. Within an orn, living on only one poorly processed cube a day and his thoughts, he had already gone over every technical detail of his life involving flight and science. He had calculated hundreds of theoretical flight maneuvers and tactics. From maneuvers that would help him increase his already impressive speed, to ones that would give him a tactical advantage over larger mechs if he ever got grounded.

He was relatively petite for a seeker, but it never bothered him considering he wanted to be a scientist and not a warrior. He never really had to worry about size. Even when he met his betrothed trine for the first time, they thought it was attractive-

"_No_!" He growled out through clenched dentals, causing an unsuspecting guard walking by to jump, then pick up the pace. 'Not those thoughts.'

He felt himself grow more bitter as the orbital cycles wore on. He steeled himself against his love for the skies. They reminded him too much of his losses.

His hatred consuming him, he started imagining what kind of weapon he would make if he ever got out. He would shoot every Auto-slagged mech out there in the spark. How could he cause them as much pain as _they_ had caused him? Eventually a schematic grew in his processor. A ray that could paralyze his opponents. He had smirked at that thought. He could torture those aft-headed Auto-glitches to death.

A few nights later, as he was mentally working out his plan he had named 'Null Ray', he remembered a weapons specialist at the Academy. Professor Wheel-something. He gave Starscream insight to the world of weapons in his class, of which Starscream had little interest at the time. The professor was working on something big. Something Starscream remembered commenting on concerning ways to perfect it. The only reason he'd bothered helping with it at all was because the crazy professor nearly blew up the entire right wing of the Academy. He couldn't allow the Academy to be demolished before he graduated.

'What was that thing again?' His face suddenly lit up. 'A fusion cannon!'

His mind was filled with violent thoughts, schematics for weapons, stress and pent-up rage. He felt like he was trapped in a whirlwind of emotion and insanity. Little did he know, things were about to become more insane.

The Decepticons started a campaign attacking every elite prison, freeing the Cybertronians confined in hopes that they would join their cause. Many rapists, murderers, and thieves were freed, and joined the Decepticon ranks among the worker mechs. It was utter chaos.

'At least those fragging Autobots started losing.' He grumbled to himself frequently.

Starscream's containment center ended up being hit one frigid night. He hadn't even been incarcerated a solar-cycle yet.

There was fire and panic throughout the prison. As the prisoners managed to get free, they started attacking gaurds. Energon started splattering against the door of his cell. He could hear the deafening shrieks followed by a pool that oozed its way under his door. It reminded Starscream of a horrible paint job. He started chuckling out of nervousness.

Eventually flames started licking the walls of his cell, and Starscream himself had curled into a ball like a sparkling, hoping he would be off-lined quickly instead of being made to suffer. He wouldn't get his revenge. He wouldn't even reach mech-hood. He would just be another nameless casualty of this horrible war. A war started by that Auto-scum. As his room started to slowly fill with the flames from the rest of the burning containment center, and Starscream had completely resigned himself to his fate, a clear voice chimed into his head. It was deep and monotone.

|Query: Design? Designation? Fully functional?| Starscream thought he had imagined it. It repeated again louder.

|Demand: Design? Designation? Fully functional?|

Starscream, confused and annoyed with the insistent voice, retaliated in the most bitter rant he could muster.

'Design: About to melt! Designation: Fragged! Crazy and fragged and stuck in this stupid glitched cell listening to voices in his head! So obviously _not_ fully functioning! Stupid glitched processor!'

No more than an astrosecond later the sound of high pitch chirps made Starscream uncurl slightly and snap his head up. It was seeker-speak! It was saying "_Hey!_"

Looking into Starscream's cell was an honest to Primus seeker mech. He was obviously bigger than Starscream and had a slightly menacing air about him as his red eyes pierced through Starscream's optics.

'Is that what's speaking to my processor? Unicron…? Unicron's not a seeker! Why Unicron? What did I do? Why not Primus? I'm just hallucinating! I've finally snapped and I'm imagining voices and the Pit!' He off-lined his optics.

"I haven't off-lined yet! Come back later Unicron, you aft!" He screeched, then tucked himself back into a ball only to hear a loud pop.

|Suggestion: Do not resist.|

'Oh frag...!' Something picked him up, there was another pop. He felt frigid air hit his sensitive wing nodes for the first time in nearly a solar cycle. 'Did he take me to the Pit?'


	3. Megatron

The first words that graced his audios after arriving in 'the pit' were "Lord Megatron! I found a Seeker in that containment cell!" An apparently incredibly giddy seeker was holding him.

'That seeker… It was real?' a few seconds later it hit him 'Megatron!' He had heard horrible things about the Decepticons, but nothing as horrible as what he had heard about Megatron. There were rumors that he was sparked from Unicron himself. This added more weight to the theory of where he currently was.

'Maybe Megatron was that voice in my head… Maybe he'll give me a quick death.' A pathetic bubble of hope floated through his processor at that last thought. 'He's supposed to be a gun-former. Maybe he'll shoot me in the spark.'

Starscream was curious as to what Megatron looked like, but he was too uncertain of what was about to happen to him to actually roll out of his security ball. Seekerlet technology permitted seekerlets (Seekers that were not yet mechs) to form their bodies into a dense ball surrounding their spark chambers. It was a means of protection until they were old enough to defend themselves offensively. It automatically deleted itself after a seeker obtained mech-hood, as it was obsolete when a seeker had a trine, and only took up space in the processor. The trine covered each other's sparks and wingspans.

'How is this seeker alive?' Seekers rarely left Vos. Starscream was the exception not the rule…Maybe there were more? 'Of course there are more! …maybe…' So many emotions flitted through his spark. He felt torn between hope and fear.

A deep and frightening voice replied to the seeker carrying him, "Is he fully functional?"

'That must be Megatron. That was not the voice in my processor.' He felt sheer awe at how controlled and powerful the voice was. It seemed to be teetering between patience and impatience. It was dangerous.

"I dunno. I mean he seemed functional. He's kinda young-" The seeker seemed incredibly nonchalant for someone that had just enacted a siege upon an elite prison and miraculously yanked Starscream away from certain doom.

"War knows no age, Skywarp. Will he be useful or not?" Megatron's voice took on a stern edge. He could tell the seeker (Skywarp?) holding him was fidgeting as Megatron's impatience began to win out. It made Starscream want to fidget. Fidget or transform and fly as far away as possible. He was getting tired of fear though. He started to feel angry with this _Megatron_. How dare some slag infested ground-pounder strike fear into the spark of a warrior mech 'seeker' like Skywarp! Unicron's sparkling be damned!

"I dunno," Skywarp suddenly flinched, Megatron probably shot him a look, "I mean! Maybe! I mean!" After an exasperated exhalation through his vents, "He's scared scrapless! He thinks I'm Unicron for Primus' sake!" Other mechs chuckled briefly. There were apparently a lot of mechs surrounding them. "Can't Soundwave do his processor slag on him, or something, to find out?"

'Processor slag? Soundwave?' A foreign feeling entered his mind. It felt a little like when the voice was talking to him in the containment center, just more pressing and invasive. He had heard rumors of a Decepticon with the power to manipulate and destroy processors without even speaking to or touching a mech. He panicked and shot up every mental barricade he had. Of which he currently had a lot. With a combination of his own mental prowess and after the grueling interrogations he underwent in the Elite Containment Center, he managed to hold off the intrusion.

Silence.

"What is it, Soundwave?" Megatron's voice was a little less aggressive with Soundwave than Skywarp. It appeared as though he had more respect for him.

More silence. Maybe they were speaking over a com link or Soundwave's processor?

|Suggestion: Do not resist. Less unpleasant.| The voice was back, and seemed more stern than before.

'Who the slag are you?' He snapped.

"Designation: Soundwave." The voice spoke allowed.

'You're Soundwave? I figured that out by now, you slag head! How can you speak in my processor!' He was irritated beyond belief. 'Let me rephrase, _what_ the slag are you!'

|Ability: Telepathy| Starscream had only ever heard of telepathy as a rumor that many disbelieved. Some small race of Cybertronians supposedly had it, but if they did, they kept it to themselves. Being quiet about such an ability was a smart decision in Starscream's opinion. He understood the animosity other mechs would feel towards someone like that. He was feeling it right now.

He heard a soft, deep chuckle. "Processor: Functional. Fully capable of processing vocal and mental commands. Attitude:-"

'Attitude! What attitude!' He snapped as loudly as he could at Soundwave mentally before trying to block him out of his mind. There was brief silence.

"What?" Megatron asked impatiently.

There was a sharp pain in his processor. He felt like shrieking, but it left quickly enough, leaving Starscream feeling violated.

"Attitude: In need of adjustment. Designation: Starscream." Ok, _now _Starscream felt violated and angrier about the attitude comment. He didn't have an attitude. Soundwave just had a pipe up his aft.

"Starscream…" It was eerie the way Megatron let the name slither out of his vocals. "Skywarp!"

"Yeah!" Skywarp appeared to be a little spaced out from the sound of it, and seemed to be trying to cover his lack of attention by being overly enthusiastic.

"Inform Thundercracker to say hello to your new trine mate."

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Short chapter is short. I wanted to get the bits and pieces out of the way. I've been writing then cutting chapters off at different intervals. Another one should be up soon unless I'm overloaded with work. Again, Thank you for the reviews!


	4. Escape

"What?" Skywarp had voiced exactly what Starscream was thinking. "I mean, it's not that easy to make someone your trine-mate, sir! There are customs and rituals and he's a smaller model and he's obviously too young! His inexperience could get me n' TC killed!"

'I don't want them as trine-mates either. They're obviously slag heads.' Starscream thought bitterly feeling a little rejected. He didn't want to be forced into some abomination of a trine, but Skywarp could have had more tact than underestimating him.

"Skywarp," Megatron's voice was menacingly low and surprisingly calm, "Are you disobeying a direct order?" Skywarp froze. He wasn't fidgeting anymore, he was as still as a statue.

"I-I uh… I, No! I just-You don't know-I!" Skywarp seemed like he was about to blow his circuits out.

'How dare a ground-pounding slag-head tell a seeker who his trine-mate will be!' In the following silence, as Skywarp was obviously trying to think of something to say, one thought came to Starscream's mind in regards to Megatron 'I am going to beat the ever-functioning _slag _out of _you_.'

In a brief moment, Starscream lost all fear. He was prepared to die. _No one_ would take something he valued from him again. They took his family, his future trine, the sky, his hopes and dreams, and crushed them. Trying to force him to share his spark with some loopy seeker and his trine mate was the last piece of scrap that broke the scrapper's metal alloy back!

Starscream transformed from his ball as quickly as he could and propelled off of Skywarp, the unfortunate mech holding him, into the direction he had heard Megatron's voice. As soon as he made impact there was a grunt and many gasps of horror. As they connected with the ground, there was another grunt.

Starscream shrieked in his painfully high pitch, screechy voice "Eat this!" He slammed his pede where he had heard Megatron's voice. Everything came into focus and he was staring at a gargantuan silver mech... with Starscream's pede in his face.

Starscream was taken aback.

'How can any mech be so huge?' He was sitting on the chest of a mech easily three times his size. The surprise on Megatron's silver face was short lived as it quickly turned into pure rage. Starscream was suddenly terrified.

'Holy Primus!' This thing could easily crush him if he turned back into a ball.

His fight or flight statistical processor recommended he fly. Then it screamed for him to as Megatron reached for him. He fired up his thrusters on his pedes to propel himself across what appeared to be a very large warehouse filled to the brim with mechs. As he did so, he ended up blasting his thruster into Megatron's face. A howl of surprise and pain reached his audios.

He had managed to evade the gigantic mech's grasping servos. As he hit the ground, he looked around for a point of escape. That was when he felt something viciously trying to hack into his mind. He saw a blue-mech with a glinting visor. The mech was a little shorter than Megatron, but still much taller than Starscream. Oddly, it was standing near Megatron's fallen form. No one else was near Megatron. Instantly he knew, 'the respected one.'

"Soundwave." He felt a smirk tug at a corner of his lips. 'Payback's a glitch.' He made his thoughts sporadic and strange so that Soundwave would be unaware of his next move. He thought about everything from complex equations at the academy to stupid jokes Skyfire used to tell him. As Soundwave was processing this and Megatron was getting back on his pedes, Starscream had flown to the ceiling of the warehouse.

He aimed at Soundwave and kicked on his thrusters again. In an astrosecond, his fist had made contact with Soundwave's visor, and the intrusion to his processor had stopped. He heard the visor crack and Soundwave had sprawled onto the ground, Starscream approached him and slammed his pede onto the cracked visor "You will stay out of my mind or I will melt your visor to your faceplates." Starscream said calculatingly. He powered up his thruster for emphasis.

Soon though, He noticed a hole in the corner of the warehouse ceiling. If only he could get to it before Megatron beat him to slag.

'Almost there-almost there-almost there!" He was incredibly on edge. He was so close!

Finally! He made it out of the warehouse hole, only to realize he had no clue where he was. He could see smoke from fires in the distance, but they were far away glowing like small embers. Everything else was desert. He relished the feel of the wind on his wings again, and then he realized he was low on energon.

The containment center gave enough energon to keep its wards activated, not active. They felt it was easier for them to control mechs with less energon in their systems. It apparently didn't prevent the mechs from doing quick lethal damage, but Starscream was beginning to see where this would be an inconvenience for him to get away.

His victory was short lived with that revelation as he realized that two more mechs were flying after him. Neither of them were Skywarp. 'More seekers?' That put even more of a damper on his mood. How could he get away?

He rocketed forward. He was the fastest seeker in his entire generation. Surely that made him faster than these seekers.

'Maybe if I get really far, really fast, I can hide!' The thought of how much of his precious energon would be wasted niggled at the back of his mind, but what other choice did he have?

He flew as long as he could until warning signals started flashing. There was a scrap metal heap he could hide among a little distance ahead, and the seekers were nowhere in sight.

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Thank you for all of the fav's/story alerts/reviews! I really appreciate it! :)


	5. Scrap Field

Everything was an exhausting blur.

He had started off as a typical seekerlet. Well… maybe an atypical seekerlet, but a seekerlet none-the-less.

His sparklinghood had consisted of flight training, military training, survival training, and the occasional educational lessons that he had to beg for. He only ever got them after scoring particularly high on his military and flight proficiency tests. In a way, his creators were the reason he had such a drive to succeed. He had pushed himself every day for the promise to quench his thirst for knowledge.

He had made plans for his life. He would be a scientist. An explorer. He never thought the training from his sparklinghood would ever come into play.

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Starscream was awoken by an explosion and debris hitting his faceplates. He hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep.

He stayed down, fear coursing through his entire frame. He had apparently made it to the scrap field. He was currently squeezed under sheet metal and some ancient looking framework that once belonged to a building. He didn't remember falling asleep… there was the containment center… then the fire… then a seeker… then he… kicked Megatron in the face!

'Frag!' He escaped and was being chased by seekers… he outflew them… he was low on energon… then his memory banks were blank… he was so exhausted… 'I'm still low on energon. I need to refuel, and I'm under attack. The explosions…. Megatron must be looking for me. He must want me dead.'

He warily looked from under the sheet metal, and was greeted with large menacing mechs, toting guns. Then another explosion caused his hiding spot to cave in. He barely managed to escape the scrap heap before it engulfed him whole.

Something grabbed him painfully by the wing.

"What do we have here? A young seeker?" a mech with a deep voice chuckled, "Not a bad lookin' one neither!"

Starscream met the lustful gaze of a large hideously orange mech with an Autobot symbol on his chassis. He was holding Starscream up with a fist the size of a boulder and sporting a mortar of sorts in the other. The mech's red and smaller companion seemed less than pleased.

"Deactivate the sparkling and come on! Don't be sick!" The red Autobot ran ahead not sparing a second glance back, leaving Starscream to his fate.

"Well 'sparkling', no one will miss me for a while." He gave a devious grin full of his intentions, but was slightly put off by the even more devious grin that was returned to him.

"Good."

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The shock on the large mech's faceplates when Starscream deactivated him with a piece of jagged metal was priceless, at least in Starscream's opinion. One well placed puncture to the spark. As much as he didn't want it to, the kill left Starscream feeling a little uneasy. He couldn't look the mech in the face after a while.

He was slightly curious with what the Autobot had planned to do with him. Skyfire had looked at him that way once or twice, but would always leave in a hurry afterward. He never offered an explanation, and Starscream just assumed it was a glitch of his and let it be.

_"You shouldn't hang around with that Mech." _

_"Why not?"_

_"He's an elite. You're not his equal. He's just waiting for you to become a mech. Then he plans on taking you away to be his subordinate little play thing."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

Large explosions and yells could be heard nearby. Starscream had already figured out that he was in the middle of a battlefield. He knew he had to work fast before someone came by to kill him, Autobot or Decepticon.

He could tell from looking at the Autobot that he was well-fed. Judging by who was backing the Autoscum, they were all well-fed, and on the purest energon Cybertron had to offer. 'There is a 99% chance they fed him before this battle. This battle has been in full swing for less than a joor, so he has not even processed 10% of his intake yet.'

He stripped everything that could be utilized as a weapon off of the orange bot. He grabbed his jagged, metal, makeshift weapon and got to work cutting through the armor of the chassis to the fuel pump. Something he had learned as a sparkling in survival training. He could get relatively fresh, unprocessed energon. Then he would have enough to escape into space!

'Then I'll run out of energon in space... Pit!' Well, he could get away from the battlefield at least. That was a start.

He finally found it. He pulled the oil slicked tube out, and cut the line. Quickly and greedily he sucked the contents of the Autobot's tank dry.

He wiped the oil from his lip components. He felt sick.

'Did I really just do that?'

His systems had stopped flashing warnings. He had forgotten what it was like to be fully energized. He pushed the thoughts of what had just transpired out of his processor as much as he could.

He grabbed the mortar. It was big, but having a weapon would be helpful. He dropped it briefly as he moved to drag the Autobot under debris, constantly reminding himself that the Autobots were evil and deserved to be exterminated in the most painfully possible way.

When he returned for the mortar, he heard the loud sonic boom of seekers flying by. The sound brought him an unmeasurable amount of joy.

Quickly he rummaged through the scrap yard, trying to get in a safe location to watch how things played out with the seekers. He was curious and a little homesick. Watching them fly by made him feel nostalgic.

The first trine to fly by was made up of cone headed Decepticons. Obviously the command trine by the way they carried themselves in the air, and their positioning. The second trine…

'Skywarp!' The ditzy purple Decepticon that had pulled him out of the burning containment center was flying a little sloppily by a blue seeker that seemed a little lost and depressed. There were only two. Their flying positions left room for one seeker roughly their size to be flying a little ahead in the middle.

'Their trine leader is dead.' The horror of the situation dawned on Starscream. They had no direction. They were confused and feeling the pain of their deactivated trine leader's emptiness within their sparks. They would probably die in this battle. They seemed to have been targeted already as a weak link by the Aftbots.

He felt a twinge of guilt for running away like a spoiled sparkling the night before. Even if they didn't want that empty spot filled by him, and he didn't want to fill it, he could have at least not been so selfish and whiny about his personal hell. They were in far more pain.

He never had a trine and didn't know what he was missing. They knew. At that second his resolve won out. He had to help them.

He had his targets. The red Autobot that was with the orange one from earlier and a yellow autobot, that looked very similar to the red one, had made it their objective to shoot down Skywarp and the other seeker that Starscream recalled being named as Thundercracker.

Starscream aimed the mortar at the red and yellow Bots general location, waiting for an opening.

'Gotcha.' He fired.

The explosion was unexpectedly massive, and knocked him back a bit. The two Autobots that were firing at Skywarp and Thundercracker were now sprawled across the battlefield, missing various appendages. Surprisingly, they were still alive. Many of the Autobots that were aiming for the seekers were caught in the blast. The ones that weren't vaporized were scrambling, giving the seekers the upper-hand.

The mortar reminded him of something Wheeljack would make. In fact, it was the very prototype for the fusion cannon he had worked on with Professor Wheeljack. Speaking of Unicron, an Autobot that looked an awful lot like Wheeljack was running toward Starscream's position.

'Wheeljack?' Starscream was a little horrified by the revelation that his professors would be fighting on the side of the enemy. He quickly regained his composure and changed position, but not before dismantling the cannon and taking some vital pieces. He had helped Wheeljack with this weapons too many times to _not_ know how to dismantle it.

The scrap field was apparently vast. He ran and tumbled around and through the debris during his get-away. Something started to become very unsettling to him though. The scrap field looked… familiar. As he looked around he tripped over something.

He managed to catch himself, but when he turned to see what he had tripped on his face turned to a look of horror. It was the rusted appendage of a seeker. A very very deactivated seeker.

'An arm…?' A head lay nearby the arm, empty optics staring at Starscream, lip components open in a silent scream. He was in Vos.

He had recovered his composure as much as he could when he heard voices nearby. There were more seeker bodies surrounding him. They were all seekerlets. It looked as though they had all been rounded up and killed. Then their bodies were disposed of in various piles.

He found a pile with many seekerlets roughly his age and crawled into it. His senses were overwhelmed with the putrid feeling of being covered in his dead brethren. He shut off his optics and laid limp. The voices grew closer.

"Where is that frag-face plated glitch?" Wheeljack's voice.

"One of the twins said he'd found a seekerlet and was planning on interfacing with it." A brief silence followed.

'Interfacing?'

_"What's interfacing?"_

_"What?" Two voices yelled in unison._

_"Mech's and femme's at the academy keep referencing it. I can't find anything about it except for an obscure blip in an anatomy book. What is it?"_

_"It's what Skyfire wants to do with you!" One voice giggled._

_"Shut up." The other voice snapped and the giggling stopped. "It's something you shouldn't do until the night of your Bonding Ceremony to someone _we all _agree will be suitable for you." was the serious reply namely directed at the giggling mech._

_"Well, how will I know what to do?" Starscream gave an exasperated growl._

_"We'll tell you then." Another serious reply. _

_"Why do you get to know what it is and I don't?"_

_"We're older than you. We have to know these things." _

_"Not by much!"_

_The giggling came back, "Don't worry Starscream. He doesn't know what it is either!"_

"What?" Wheeljack sounded livid and disgusted. "The only seekerlets here are deactivated! What is wrong with these new recruits?"

"I don't know…" The other mech exhaled through his vents. "We have the weapon, even if it is missing pieces. We need to get back to the battle. Even if a Con stole it and fired upon us, they are of no concern to us now. They are certainly not scientifically advanced enough to put it to any good use."

At this Wheeljack exhaled far louder from his vents. "Yer right, Prowl. Let's get back to the energon splatter fest." He didn't seem to excited.

Starscream waited a joor before he left the pile. The whole scene before him was depressing. He was about to leave until something caught his eye. A familiar color scheme on a wing, sticking out of the pile he had just left.

He climbed up the mound of deactivated bodies and scrambled with all of his might to retrieve the body attached to the wing.

He finally managed to pull out a seekerlet that was a good head taller than him with a blue and purple color scheme.

"Starcloud." He whispered forlornly.

When he tried to pull his once future trine mates body out of the pile he realized Starscloud's hand was caught on something. He scrambled back up the pile to loosen it when he realized it was holding a hand with an equally as recognizable color scheme. His spark started to pulse faster.

"Sunsinger!" He was desperate to free the two of them from the pile of bodies.

* * *

_"You're always so serious Starscream." Sunsinger giggled sitting on Starscream's desk. _

_"Well, one of us has to be." Starscream was hunched over data pads and various scientific holo images. _

_"You act like such a mech, yet you're so innocent." Sunsinger slowly leaned in toward Starscream's helm. "I can't wait until we share a spark."A large hand pulled Sunsinger back. _

_"You can wait." Starcloud gave a serious look to both of them. "Starscream. Be careful on your mission with Skyfire. I don't trust his intentions."_

_Sunsinger gave a soft giggle, "I trust his intentions. I think they're fairly obvious ones. If he touches you inappropriately, go for it!" A smack to Sunsinger's helm stopped his giggling. _

_"Ugh, What is considered inappropriate? What would he do? The mystical interfacing that you refuse to talk about? How would I even know if he did it or not?" Starscream sighed._

_"You would know." Sunsinger gave a serious look. "It hurts. A lot."_

He had managed to release Starcloud and Sunsinger. He pulled them to the bottom and viciously kissed their face plates and intertwined fingers. They had both received a direct shot to the spark.

Silently he made them a promise that he would avenge them through any means necessary.

He laid with their empty shells for joors, until he offlined and fell into a comfortable stasis.


	6. Other Seekers

Sorry, this is long overdue. Just had to get some smut out of my system first. Hopefully this chapter will appease some of the worries and complaints I received. :P

* * *

"_Hey… Starscream?" Skyfire's voice always held a tenderness Starscream had never witnessed in any other mech or femme. Something about the way he spoke… it was like he was enveloping Starscream in a protective shield. Almost like when Starscream's future trine-mates were trying to comfort him. _

"_Yes Skyfire?" They had been flying for half a solar cycle. Maybe a solar cycle. Maybe more. It was difficult to know if their chronometers were accurate with all of the electrical interference they had been having in space. _

"_Um… nothing…" Starscream mentally sighed. Skyfire had been doing this off and on throughout the trip. "Well… um…"_

"_What?" He was losing his patience, but he didn't want to push Skyfire into talking about something that was obviously uncomfortable for the mech._

"_It's nothing." _

'_That does it.' Patience lost. "No, what? You've been doing this the whole trip and it's starting to drive me insane! What is it? Spit it out! I won't get upset! Just tell me!" He stopped propelling forward and transformed out of his alt mode. Skyfire did the same. _

_Skyfire looked nervous. Beyond nervous. _

'_What in the world could it be?' _

"_Is this about interfacing?" Tact was not really a strong point for the tri-color seeker. If Skyfire looked nervous before, now he looked like he wanted to be deactivated on the spot._

"_Uh- I- uh-" He glanced at distant stars, passing asteroids, even empty space, anywhere but at Starscream._

"_Is it?" Starscream floated closer to Skyfire. Skyfire sighed. _

"_Starscream…" He finally rested his soft blue optics on Starscream's vibrant red ones. "It's more than that." _

"_What is more than what?" Starscream was sick of Skyfire's evasive verbal maneuvers. "Tell me!"_

"_I would like to court you." Skyfire blushed a little, embarrassed by his admission._

"_Quart me? That doesn't make sense. What does that mean?" Starscream's attractive ebony face plates scrunched up in confusion. Skyfire reached out, taking Starscream's smaller servo into his. Starscream grew nervous._

"_Courting is the precursor to a Bonding Ceremony." Suddenly the gravity of the situation dawned on him._

"_Oh Primus, uh…" It was now Starscream's turn to be speechless. Skyfire seemed to sense Starscream's distress and tried to sound reassuring._

"_I would never force you into a Bond, nor will I continue to pursue you if you do not feel the same." He smiled gently._

"_Where is interfacing in all of that?" Skyfire looked uncomfortable again._

"_After the Bonding Ceremony, unless there is a mutual agreement between partners to engage in such activity beforehand, but I do not believe your future trine-mates would appreciate that." The gentle giant took to looking at his feet. Starcloud had obviously made it known to Skyfire that he was merely tolerated until he crossed the line._

"_Skyfire. Will you be honest with me and answer me to the fullest extent of your knowledge if I ask you something?" Starscream fixed Skyfire with a determined look. Skyfire met his gaze and nodded his helm. "What's interfacing?" Skyfire looked horrified._

"_Ew! What a demented little glitch! He's sleeping in a bed of corpses!" _

"_What?" That answer didn't really make sense…_

His optics snapped on. It was night.

'A dream…'

"Looks like we get rewarded for finding the slag that crawled up Megatron's aft," A voice chuckled.

He managed to focus his optics on the two mechs standing over him, a red conehead and a blue conehead both with Decepticon insignias on their wings. He instantly recognized them as part of the command trine of the Decepticon army.

"Dirge. Comm Ramjet and tell him we found the sorry little glitch." The red one seemed fairly confident, as an elite member of a command trine should, though he seemed a little too jumpy to be part of a command trine.

He jumped and squawked when some scrap metal clanged into some more scrap.

'Fairly unbecoming of a command trine… '

"He's on his way, Thrust." 'Dirge' was a deep blue. He was fairly silent beyond that sentence and gave Starscream an uneasy feeling. There was something about him that was just… creepy.

No more than several astroseconds had passed, astroseconds of Thrust giving Starscream an 'I'm superior to you' look and Dirge giving him an 'I don't quite know what to make of you yet, but I'd kill and cannibalize you first chance I got' look, when Ramjet arrived… and rammed into the pile of seekerlet bodies Starscream was laying against with Starcloud and Sunsinger.

The bodies scattered everywhere almost encasing Starscream in a macabre prison of his peers. Starscream tightened his grip around his larger trine members and tried to drag the bodies out of harm's way. Before he had the chance to pull the two seekerlets out with him, Thrust had him by the wing. Then he yanked, twisting at the same time. A maneuver used to ground a 'flight risk'. Starscream let out an audio piercing shriek.

"Pathetic, clinging to dead seekerlets. It's not like they can help you." Thrust started to laugh. Ramjet tumbled down the body pile, landing near the others. He grabbed Sunsinger's exposed arm from under the pile and yanked him out. He started to laugh with Thrust.

"What should I do with you?" A manic look of glee was on Ramjet's faceplates as he held up Sunsinger's body.

Through the pain in his wings he managed to ground out "I'll kill you glitch heads and suck your slagging tanks dry! Put him down!"

'Primus, Skywarp is more together than these three, and he's missing his trine leader!" These seekers were 'off' to say the least, and it left Starscream feeling concerned about what the remaining seekers were like if _this_ was the command trine. This trine had no respect for any of the dead, or even living, seekers.

'Disgusting!'

Ramjet simply dropped the lifeless shell, and Sunsinger hit the ground hard, kicking up dust and debris. He felt liquid building around his optics. It wasn't fair. Even in death, Sunsinger did not deserve to be desecrated. Ramjet started laughing more at the look of shock and horror on Starscream's faceplates.

"Stop it." A new voice! A deep and comforting "going to save Starscream from lunatics" voice. He ignored the excruciating pain in his wings and turned his head to see... the leaderless trine looking fidgety.

Skywarp and Thundercracker both had pained looks on their faceplates at what they were witnessing. In a way, Starscream found this reassuring. Not everyone had gone mad.

Ramjet scowled and started approaching them. His heel struts making metal pieces groan under the pressure. Skywarp slowly shrank behind his trine mate. "Is that how you address your Air Commander?"

Thundercracker glared hard at him.

"You are not my Air Commander." There was a loud slap, followed by a popping sound. He had seen Ramjet backservo Thundercracker, but Thundercracker and Skywarp disappeared into thin air. Suddenly he heard a loud pop beside him. He vaguely was aware of a servo grabbing his arm firmly but gently. Then after another loud pop, he was no longer on the battlefield. He was back at the warehouse where he had first met-

'Scrap.'

"So nice to see you again, _Starscream_. I would enjoy speaking with you about something." The mighty Megatron was smiling menacingly as he lounged against a makeshift throne, helm in the palm of one gigantic servo. Hundreds of mechs were standing around the warehouse, staring with anticipation at the two, hanging off of beams and scrap for a better look.

Many mechs had been in such a position, forced to confront Megatron after some grievous wrongdoing on their part. They were, without fail, **all** nervous and frightened and held their tongues for such reasons, as Megatron either lashed out or killed them gladiatorial style if they said the wrong thing. Starscream handled fear differently.

He couldn't shut up.

"I can't say the same." Any whispering or hushed murmuring had stopped. Wind blowing through the drafty holes littering the walls of the grimy warehouse was the only noise.

'Scrap.'

"I see you fixed your face from my thruster." He could feel the dentals hanging open at his last comment. Oops.

'Scrap…. Shut up Starscream, Shut up, look for a get away.'

"It's not like it looked much better in the first place though." He widened his own optics in horror at what he was saying. He realized the 'Mighty' Megatron was no longer smiling.

'Oh Primus, He's going to kill me….. What a cycle. What a terrible and horrific cycle this has been.' Starscream couldn't help himself. He smiled and then started chuckling. His chuckle turned into a giggle, apparently not what Megatron was expecting or hoping to elicit out of the seekerlet. He frowned at Starscream in confusion.

"Sorry." Starscream tried to make a serious face. It lasted about one nanoclick before he burst out with laughter. "This has just been a horrible cycle. You have no idea, scratch that, solar cycle. This has been an awful, awful solar cycle. I mean ridiculous." He started cracking up. Static laced his words. Megatron seemed unnerved.

Starscream started approaching Megatron's makeshift throne. Every other mech in the warehouse tensed up.

"I mean, I just employed the most disgusting survival strategies, and I'm really tired. If you want to deactivate me, do it. If you want to talk to me, let me recharge. There is nothing in the pit left for you to torture me with." He pushed his dirty oil and energon splattered face mere centimeters from Megatron's face. He knew he probably reeked of death.

"Seriously. I just don't care anymore." He turned around and walked forward a little.

"Maybe I can escape! Oh wait! Your insanely unstable Command Trine crushed my wing!" Starscream turned back to throw an accusing glare at Megatron, as though he had crushed the appendage.

"Let me try to force myself into my seekerlet ball so you are able to deactivate me in one step." The sickening crunches of his battered wing and his abused frame trying to curl into a ball finally seemed to do it for the Decepticon commander as he got up and approached Starscream.

Starscream felt a huge servo grab his good wing. He winced in anticipation.

"Thundercracker, Skywarp. Take him to Hook. Bring him back here in two cycles." He was lightly shoved towards them. He had forgotten they were there.

"Yes, Sir!" They both barked before grabbing Starscream.

After a loud Pop, they were in some sort of underground barracks.

* * *

Hmmmmm...


	7. Recovery

I'm so sorry this took so long!

* * *

He didn't like being underground. It felt like he was in that cramped cell all over again. As he shuddered with the recollection, a warm servo clapped the back of his helm.

"It's not so bad down here." Skywarp must have been a telepath. "It's either this or on the surface where the bot-scum can sneak up on us." Skywarp started to fidget and glance worriedly at the walls like they'd give any nanoclick.

Not a telepath, just a seeker. He smiled briefly.

'A seeker.'

They signaled for him to follow them as they passed countless make-shift berths. Some were occupied by mechs either sleeping or injured.

"How do you do it?" He asked wearily as they started passing through a cramped tunnel.

"Do what?" Skywarp skittishly stared at the walls. Thundercracker increased his walking speed.

"The popping thing." Skywarp gave him a confused look.

"The what- Oh! The teleporting!" He started to laugh. "Yeah, I dunno. I could kinda always do it."

They finally made their way into a bigger alcove with six or so mechs running around several occupied berths. He recognized some medical equipment. All of the equipment was stained in energon. He moved to the side to get out of one of the purple and green mech's way only to step on something that crunched.

He turned his helm and realized he had just stepped on the servo of a dead mech with an Autobot symbol on its chest. He slowly turned his helm up and realized there was a pile of bodies sporting both Decepticon and Autobot symbols.

"Mind the body pile." One of the mechs approached him. He darted away from the pile and behind the other two seekers. "What do you guys want?" The grounder turned to glare at them. Starscream noticed Thundercracker and Skywarp glare back.

An uncomfortable silence settled before the grounder grit his dentals and snapped at them.

"I don't have all cycle! What do you want?" Thundercracker stepped to the side, revealing Starscream behind him, and grabbed Starscream's arm, pulling him before the mech.

"Megatron wants this seeker repaired and fully functional in one cycle." He put emphasis on the 'one'.

'Wasn't it two cycles?' He turned to question Thundercracker, but met cold optics that told him to shut up. He slowly turned away. He preferred Skywarp's company. His trine mate was... not so pleasant. He took to staring wide-opticked at the grounder before him.

"What's his designation?" The mech looked at him with disgust. He decided to try to break the tense conversation by offering his servo.

"Hello, Designation: Sta-" Thundercracker smacked his proffered servo down.

"His designation doesn't matter! It's a direct order from Megatron! Do it, Hook!" Thundercracker was making Starscream nervous.

'Are they about to fight?' He noticed the other grounders had stopped what they were doing and were glaring. He was going to ask Skywarp what was going on only to notice he was still glaring as well.

"You are not a member of the command trine anymore. You are not a trine mate of the Air Commander anymore. You are not even part of a full trine. You don't hold any sway over the constructicons and as such should learn to speak with humility when requesting something. It's not our fault your trine leader was damaged beyond repair." Hook gave a smug smirk as did the rest of the ground pounders.

Starscream slowly looked back at Thundercracker. He looked defeated and Skywarp looked worried. Hook obviously hit the nail on the head. He felt angry again.

'Fragging grounders…'

He shot his head back to look at Hook.

"What are you so smug about working in a fragging cave with outdated tools?" All six of the grounders shot surprised looks at the pint sized loud mouth. "I wouldn't trust a bunch of outdated junk like you to repair my wings! Primus knows how out of date your knowledge on seeker anatomy is! You just admitted to being incapable of repairing a seeker! Worst medics ever!" Hook glared and shot his servo out effectively grabbing Starscream's arm.

"Oh look, we're out of pain killer." He gave an evil smirk and proceeded to lift and slam Starscream onto his chest on top of an energon stained berth.

'Slag it.' He could not hold his glossa for all of the knowledge on Cybertron.

"Figures you wouldn't know to try to keep pain killer stocked during a fragging _war_!" He felt a large servo grab his bent wing causing him to hiss in pain.

"This will hurt." Hook stated nonchalantly before twisting the wing back into place. Starscream kicked and screamed frantically. He miraculously landed a kick on Hook before he finished bending the wing back in place, causing the other grounders to come assist in holding him down. He screamed as loud as his fragged up vocals would let him.

"Scrapper, shut him up!" Hook snapped as he continued struggling with the wing. Scrapper grabbed a metal bar and put it in Starscream's mouth.

"Bite down." Starscream obliged.

It took about two joors before they had successfully repaired any physical damage on him. He was in pain.

When they were finished, he slowly got up and pushed himself off of the berth. His legs refused to cooperate with him as he landed on his aft on the floor in something wet. Leaning against the berth for support was a welcome option.

The 'Constructicons' chuckled. He would never purposefully antagonize the medics again.

He looked around the room to notice it was void of Thundercracker and Skywarp.

"Tch."

'I was defending them too.'

He looked down at the puddle he was sitting in.

'Energon. Gross.'

"Savage, outdated, and barbaric, really." He gave a lazy grin to the constructicons. Hook returned the grin, but with a colder look in his optics.

"It looks like there is still a small kink in your wing to ding out." He made to reach for Starscream but he was already on his pedes and running through the entrance.

"I wouldn't expect anything better from grounders!" He smirked at his ability to get the last word.

After a nanoclick, his wing was screaming at him to slow down as it dinged into various formations sticking out of the walls of the tunnel. He slowly walked the rest of the way. Someone was approaching him from ahead.

"Starscream!" It was Skywarp and he was holding a cube of energon. "Hurry up and drink because I have to take you to get cleaned up and then recharge!"

Starscream wondered briefly where Thundercracker was, but dismissed it. He greedily downed the contents of the cube.

'Woah.'

"That wash shtrong…" He wobbled a little. His vision was getting a little too hazy and his voice becoming static. He suddenly had trouble standing.

'Was it poisoned?' he wondered. Skywarp started chuckling, 'It was poisoned.'

"Have you never had High Grade? Primus, what kind of a seeker are you?" He gave Starscream a playful smile.

"A mashure one wif too musch work tuh do." His optics flickered. Skywarp reached out and steadied him.

"C'mon, to the wash racks!" In a flash they were in another room. He felt like purging with the sudden change in scenery.

Liquid was steadily leaking through the ceiling, and a few other Decepticons were bathing beneath these leaks.

'Must be beneath a river bed.' Skywarp dragged him over to a rack with cleaning supplies and started pulling out and throwing various containers on the ground. A few nanoclicks later he stopped.

"A-ha!" He held up a certain cube and seemed pleased with himself. "Cleaning time!"

Skywarp scrubbed at him for a joor before rinsing him off. It had been a solar cycle since he'd been clean. They really didn't care about how clean mechs were in the Elite Containment Center.

"Isn't your color scheme attractive? I bet the seekers were lining up to be your tri-" Skywarp stopped talking as realization obviously hit him. They both briefly shared a pained look. Most of the cleaning was conducted in silence, save other Decepticons talking. They didn't quite make optic contact for a while. Skywarp seemed extremely focused on a particularly stubborn smudge on Starscream's chassis. Starscream took to watching the other Decepticons. They were so weird.

Occasionally when he met another mechs optics he would receive a smirk that made him uncomfortable, and maybe a bizarre gesture involving digits and a glossa. A few times Skywarp had to snatch his attention away from the other mechs, telling him to not give them any ideas.

"Ideas about what?" He finally asked. Skywarp stopped mid-scrub, and looked Starscream in the optics like he was thick in the processor.

"You know…" He resumed scrubbing an arm. Starscream scowled in confusion. This was almost like talking with Skyfire.

"No, I don't know. Tell me." Skywarp violently started.

"Shhh…," He whispered, "lower your voice." He leaned in to Starscream's audials and whispered, "They're gonna think you wanna face." Starscream scrunched up his face in annoyance, and whispered back.

"What is 'face'?" Skywarp was starting to look more annoyed.

"You know, interface." Starscream's optics widened in recognition of the word. Skywarp seemed to believe that he had answered Starscream's question adequately and went back to scrubbing. At least until he heard the tentative whisper from Starscream.

"The thing you do after a bonding ceremony? Will they think I want to bond with them?" Skywarp deadpanned. Hysterical laughter soon followed. Starscream glared. Why was this so amusing? "What?" He barked out in his raspy voice. Skywarp managed to control himself somehow.

"What yourself. Where the pit did that nonsense come from?" Starscream felt a bit hurt that Skywarp would refer to Skyfire's words as nonsense, and said no more.

Half a joor later they warped back to the sleeping barracks.

"You'll be sleeping in our berth so you don't get ra-Hey!" Skywarp snapped at the coneheads surrounding Thundercracker.

'Probably threatening him for his insubordination earlier.'He thought absently. Skywarp ran over and shoved his way into being a barrier between Thundercracker and the coneheads.

"Frag off!" He started to yell. The coneheads were suddenly distracted though. They were staring at Starscream with surprise. Whether it was because he was still online, or whether it was because his color scheme was not brown, he was not sure.

"Looks like a new seeker has joined the ranks." Ramjet wore a predatory smirk as he approached. Starscream had an urge to back up with every step taken towards him. "Time for a little initiation."

"You should probably pull your helm out of your aft before it gets stuck." Ramjet's jaw dropped. "Or is that the problem?" If there was one thing he learned at the Elite Containment Center, talk big. He shot the nastiest smirk he could at Ramjet, though it was short lived as Ramjet lunged at him.

He ducked at the last astrosecond causing Ramjet to miss him completely and land faceplates first in an empty berth.

"What an outdated model!" He exclaimed in mock surprise. He smirked in triumph and let out a high pitch laugh at Ramjet's embarrassing failure of an attack.

Ramjet let out a shriek of rage and lunged off of the berth at him again only to have Starscream hop over his head and grab his flailing pede. He used the momentum to swing Ramjet around and release him into a wall.

Glee lit up his faceplates as he became super-aware of his surroundings with a rush of the High Grade energon pumping through his systems. He was a seeker after all. He grew up fighting with his peers and surpassed them in military skills.

"Please don't tell me you're the Air Commander." One hateful glare from the downed Decepticon confirmed his suspicions. He laughed maniacally.

"How desperate!" He actually fell back on his aft with laughter, the high grade coursing through his fuel lines and affecting his processor.

'The Decepticons are fragged with this leadership!'

"Soundwave: Not amused. Seekers: Recharge now." He froze. How did Soundwave sneak up behind him without him noticing?

"Starscream: Too cocky." He glowered at Soundwave.

"Nice to see you too."

'Afthelm.'

Soundwave was quiet, but Starscream soon felt that sharp stabbing pain in his processor. The High grade made it difficult for him to block with his mental barriers.

He blacked out.

* * *

"So, Starscream, care to explain why you've managed to survive so long?" Megatron seemed slightly impressed.

"I have unfinished business." Starscream didn't want to volunteer more information than was needed, and tried to keep his mental barriers up. He was very displeased with how easy it was for Soundwave to offline him. He was so exhausted and drunk though… it wasn't really surprising that he slept for two cycles. Oddly enough, when he awoke Skywarp and Thundercracker were curled around him in a protective gesture. It was slightly reassuring, apparently only Skywarp left to obtain energon cubes, but aside from that the two never left his side while he was vulnerable.

Megatron leaned back in his makeshift throne looking bemused. "Such as?"

"The eradication of the Autobots and their supporters." He wasn't lying. That really was his long term goal. Megatron widened his optics in slight surprise. The room was busy as always.

"And how do you plan on accomplishing such a task, sparkling?" Starscream's initial thought was 'through you.'

"I've thought it over, and it seems best that I join the Decepticons." Megatron let out a spark-stopping bark of laughter.

"Oh really." That dangerous glint was back in Megatron's optic. "What makes you so certain that the Decepticons require your obviously limited expertise and your smart glossa?" A jab at his age.

"The fact that it's the only _smart_ glossa in this room." Megatron scowled. Starscream almost winced…. Almost. Megatron was right about one thing. His smart glossa was not a desirable appendage. Megatron got up from his throne, towering over the seeker despite the distance between them.

"Start talking fast." Megatron rumbled out of his vocaliser as he approached Starscream. Starscream obliged.

"The Autobots have the upper hand against the Decepticons!" Megatron didn't stall, but looked more annoyed with Starscream. He was now standing over the seeker, blocking out any small light that may have been illuminating the seeker. Starscream was bathed in the red light of the gigantic ground-pounder's optics.

"We outnumber them." He stated plainly.

"They make up for that with improved weaponry courtesy of their scientists." Megatron seemed to be considering what he was saying. Good. "That large number won't last if you don't improve your outdated weapons." Starscream looked smug, but he felt smug.

"And how can _you_ assist with that?" Megatron crossed his arm and stared at Starscream in perplexity and annoyance.

"I was the top student in the science academy at Iacon." There was silence, then a ringing laughter all throughout the room. Apparently every conversation they were going to have would have the undivided attention of Megatron's followers. They didn't believe him.

Megatron stopped chuckling long enough to choke out, "Well, great scientist, care to explain what you were doing in a holding cell at an Elite Containment Center?" Starscream was starting to feel his rage boiling up at the memory of why he was there.

"_Designation: Starscream. The council finds you guilty of the murder of the elite Cybertronian Skyfire." Starscream felt energon tears well up around his optics._

"_B-but I didn't do anything! I remember the coordinates of the planet! He may just be stranded! I came back to organize a search party!" He was frantic. Why weren't they listening?_

"_Battle Dro-" The council member stopped himself from saying 'battle drone', but Starscream was now livid. _

"_I am not a battle drone! I'm a scientist and I need your help before it's too late! Why aren't you helping me! Why aren't you helping Skyfire!" He actually was crying now. _

"_Take him away." The council member flicked his servo in a dismissive gesture._

"I was framed." Megatron started outright laughing. The action was mirrored by the rest of what Starscream had started to see as mindless puppets and yes mechs running around the room.

"Yes. Of course." Megatron fixed the seekerlet with a haughty gaze.

"You don't have to believe me, but I was a student under the weapon master, and now Autobot, Wheeljack. A solar cycle ago, I helped him design and build the weapon that blew away a chunk of the Autobot forces on the battlefield a few cycles ago. In fact, I was the one that stole and fired it to help out the last remnants of _my_ race. _I_ obtained a few of the vital parts when_ I _dismantled the fragging thing, and _I _am the only one with the know-how and expertise to replicate it." Megatron's faceplates looked disbelieving. "Have your fragging processor reader confirm it. Primus only knows he enjoyed the inside of my processor two cycles ago." He shot the telepath a contemptuous look.

Megatron looked at Soundwave in annoyance. Apparently the telepath hadn't mentioned any of this yet. Starscream couldn't blame him considering how busy he looked. Soundwave abruptly stopped working at some scraptastic terminal in the room and looked towards Megatron.

After a moment of relative silence Megatron bellowed, "Everyone out!"


	8. Washroom Mishaps

Haha, Life is busy-crazy. Here's a chapter.

* * *

Cycle = Day

Orn = Month

Solar Cycle = Year

Astrosecond = Second

Nanoclick = Minute

Joor = Hour

* * *

"What all would you need for such a weapon?" Megatron paced around Starscream, eying him every now and then. His heavy footfalls reminded Starscream of how immense this mech was more sufficiently than the actual towering height. Some seekers were tall, but light in density. Not with this groundpounder. The ground would shake a little with every step, like a mini tremor.

"I obtained the more difficult parts from the Autobot weapon. I can create a list of various scrap parts that should not be difficult to obtain with the ruins of a city so nearby." Megatron made a deep rumbling sound that put Starscream on edge for an astrosecond. He eventually recognized it as a pleased purr.

"How long would this weapon take to make?" Starscream paused to consider the question. He would need the right parts… the right tools… some peace and quiet… maybe a few data pads as a slight refresher course, or to incorporate some new ideas… it would need to be tested and perfected…

"With all of the adequate parts, I'd say about an orn for proper testing and building." Megatron let out a small growl.

"Make it in half an orn. You will have your parts by tonight." Starscream blanched. Did Megatron not hear him properly?

"I said an orn." Megatron stopped circling him and turned to glare at him.

"Half an orn. Give your list to Soundwave." His voice was strained, and his optics became a fiery red.

"I don't think you understand. This is non-negotiable. It is impossible to do something like this without at least a month of building and testing." Starscream met the tyrant's glare with one of his own. Megatron lunged at him, but held back at the last second with his fangs bared. Starscream had unintentionally flinched at the movement. Megatron smirked and started to walk back towards his throne.

"Half an orn." He sounded incredibly smug. Starscream was suddenly feeling quite infuriated.

"You ego-tripping afthelm! I said No! It's impossible!" In a movement so fast that Starscream had barely been able to keep up with it, Megatron had him by the neck against a dirty metal wall. His wings screeched against the metal painfully, and his pedes dangled helplessly in the air, kicking at the scrap beneath them.

"Welcome to the Decepticons. Do it, or be deactivated." Starscream felt his intakes hitch as the grip on his throat cut off his energon pumps. His wings fluttered as his optics slowly dimmed and he clawed at the large servo trapping him. Megatron was very close to his face, their lips almost touching. Heat from the larger frame engulfed him. His intakes hitched as claustrophobia set in, his vents cycling air quickly.

"Then… de… acti… vate… me." Megatron was reminding him of the cell; Being trapped for a solar cycle in a small, dingy cage and effectively left with his own deteriorating sanity as his only company. Megatron's gratified smirk grew until it transformed into something else, something more… primal and suddenly angry. Just as quickly as it had happened, it left, followed by one of disgust as Megatron dropped the seekerlet and barked at him to get out.

He was very eager to oblige.

* * *

He had given his list to Soundwave, and before long had a multitude of younglings bringing him what he requested. They were none too pleasant and not very bright it seemed. They were way younger than Starscream which shocked him a little, but he was growing immune to such things.

He set to work, finally, with the tools, and Megatron's warning that if anyone distracted him from his task they would be used for spare parts. He drank, slept, and worked in a small, curtained off hole beside the med bay area. He exchanged comm frequencies with TC and Warp. Warp brought him energon. The Constructicons had many tools that he needed, or at least the closest thing to the tools he needed.

He ignored the growing ache in his wings that was begging him to fly. He lost track of time, and soon his head spun with nothing but thoughts of the cannon and how it would decimate the Autobots.

He had managed to make a few adjustments to the original plan. The first cannon was heavy, and needed to be lugged around by a big Cybertronian. It was difficult to move with because it was difficult to hold onto. The smooth cannon was not very functional while on the battlefield. It had to be carried securely, immobilizing arms and servos, and aimed which took time and a not moving target.

"Hah!" He exclaimed as the thought hit him. 'Mount it on Megatron! He's strong enough to withstand the backlash and carry it! It won't immobilize him if it's mounted! I can add targeting! Gah, I have to get more parts!'

He emerged from behind the small curtained off room, startling the three Constructicons in the room. He rummaged through the body pile, ripping out optical circuitry and extra plating. It amazed and slightly startled him how quickly he had adjusted to the death and decay surrounding him.

"Starscream!" He jumped causing him to lose his footing and tumble off of the pile to the Constructicons' amusement.

'Fraggers.' He really didn't like being their neighbor.

It was Skywarp. "TC wants you!" A loud pop later and Skywarp was grabbing Starscream only to teleport him to the washracks. Thundercracker was trying to scrub vigorously at his plating. He seemed very clean, although he appeared disgusted with himself.

'Must be a compulsive cleaner.' TC looked at him, and his face became indignant

"You've been working for a quarter of an orn! You're disgusting! Did you even drink any energon during that whole time! You look malnourished! Have you even been sleeping? It's unhealthy to be underground that long! Come here!" TC marched up to him and dragged him under some liquid. Unlike with Skywarp, TC was not so gentle. He chastised and scolded the whole time while scrubbing Starscream until it hurt.

Starscream was squirming under the vicious scrubs, whining the whole time about how uncomfortable it was. Eventually TC stopped scrubbing.

At first Starscream assumed that he had finally broken the mech's will to keep cleaning him. He cautiously glanced at the mech. TC was glaring across the washracks. Starscream gingerly moved his gaze toward where TC was looking, partially concerned that a fragged off Megatron would be at there to greet his optics. He would want to know why he wasn't working. He was wrong.

The Coneheads had entered the room, blocking the entrance. They had cocky, somewhat unpleasant looks on their faces.

It was very tense. He felt a strong urge to run behind the two older seekers. Every other mech seemed absent in the washroom. Was something bad about to happen?

"You better wipe that look off your face soldier. Though, I wouldn't be entirely displeased with teaching you the same lesson twice in one day." TC looked down in shame. Skywarp snarled in pure rage and lunged at Ramjet.

'That was unexpected.' Starscream jerked back in surprise. Ramjet managed to move out of the way enough for Warp to slam into Dirge instead. A scuffle ensued, and Ramjet lunged at TC. Starscream wasn't quite sure of what to do. He wanted to help, but he didn't want to get in the way of the other two, more experienced, seekers. He would probably only be a liability. Thrust started ganging up on TC with Ramjet, restraining TC. Then Ramjet's servos started wandering around TC's Wings, the manner of which made Starscream feel uneasy.

He grabbed the nearest tool, which happened to be a pipe used to funnel liquid from the river above into buckets for cleaning, and slammed it into the back of Ramjet's helm. It left a small dent, but the desired effect of Ramjet backing off of TC worked… he was now solely focused on him… He hadn't really thought any of this through.

As Ramjet stalked towards him, he tried to scramble back. He was fast but the ground was very slick from constantly being wet and worn down by pedes. There was little to no traction.

Ramjet used his considerably longer arm reach to snatch the floundering seekerlet.

"Starscream!" TC sounded so incredibly worried it made Starscream almost regret his actions. Almost. The arm yanked his leg, successfully pulling him along the floor toward the hungry looking Air Commander. Starscream remembered the pipe in his servo at the last second and wielded it like a spear, piercing the Air Commander's left optic. He shrieked, releasing Starscream, and reached up to pull the pipe out of his head.

Starscream crab walked backwards, and scurried to his pedes never letting his gaze leave the Air Commander's enraged form.

'Now he's angry and has my weapon.' He scowled. He needed a plan. Dirge and Skywarp were still beating the slag out of each other, Thrust was losing his battle to an increasingly aggressive TC, and Ramjet had his remaining optic fixed on Starscream. Ramjet charged at him. At that time, he propelled off the wal toward Skywarp.

They connected.

As Starscream clung to Skywarp he yelled across their comm link {Get Thundercracker!}

Skywarp obliged and warped them both beside TC. Warp snatched TC and they warped to the other side of the wash room, squaring off against their opponents in a tactical seeker ground formation. The Command trine pulled its self together to do the same, but before anything came of this escalating battle, heavy footfalls echoed in the washroom. Puddles rippled outward in circular patterns as the footfalls grew louder. All six seekers turned to face the almighty Megatron.

Megatron regarded the six mechs calmly. His optics narrowed at Ramjet and Starscream, who were apparently in the trine leader positions in their respective formations.

"You two, follow me."

* * *

The bellows from the throne room had been heard all over the base. Probably by all of Cybertron.

Starscream had tuned out most of what was being said, or rather yelled. He was much more interested in entertaining thoughts of destroying the Coneheads. At least until a sharp slap made him pay attention.

He endured the ranting for close to a joor until something else came up for Megatron to do. Then he was sent back to the dingy hole in the wall where he was building the weapon. He started rambling Cybertronian curses mixed with flowery seeker slurs. He hadn't even realized anyone was approaching.

"_Hey, hey, hey!" _The soothing chirps in Seeker speak surprisingly came from Thundercracker's soft and gentle voice. _"Calm down, Little One."_ The larger seeker moved around to massage his wings. He did feel instantly calmer. He couldn't believe that large oaf Megatron had riled him up so much.

His optics must have portrayed how exasperated he felt as Thundercracker's optics visibly softened to more of a shade of pinkish red. _"I know what may help you feel better, Flight practice." _He smiled gently. Thundercracker was quite handsome, and flight practice did sound better than hiding in a cave for another cycle. He felt his optics light up. Skywarp was saying something to the Constructicons.

"_But…," _Thundercracker stared inquisitively waiting for him to finish_, "Won't Autobots see us?" _

"_Nope! I can teleport us somewhere far off and a little more private!" _Skywarp smiled his goofy grin as he moved inside the little hole, and took both of the seekers servos.

They had teleported to a location right outside of Cybertron's atmosphere. There, 'TC' and 'Warp' played some seekerlet games with him that were frequently used in care centers to incorporate a seekerlet's playful nature with battle training. It was fun. The most fun Starscream had ever hoped of having, ever again.

TC and Warped seemed very pleased with him. He managed to stay a step ahead of them most of the time, and even surprised them a few times with a simple game akin to tag. When they were exhausted in several joors, they took to floating aimlessly in space.

{TC… Warp?} Starscream was nervous about asking, not wanting to be insensitive.

{Yeah?}

{Yes?}

{Are we really… it?} He felt a familiar bubble of anxiety float up his tank.

{What do you mean?} TC questioned.

{I mean… Are there really no more seekers?} TC and Warp shared a look that seemed to convey a lot of meaning.

{Maybe.} Warp responded. {We didn't expect to find you.} Warp grinned. {Surely that's a good sign that there is some hope of more survivors.}

{Possibly…} Starscream grew silent.

{What is it?} TC was now gazing at him in curiosity.

{How often do the Coneheads do that?} TC seemed a bit uncomfortable.

{It's nothing for you to worry about, seekerlet.} TC seemed to want to sound reassuring. Skywarp looked upset.

{He's going to have to deal with it too, sooner or later. Probably sooner after this run in.} Skywarp snapped. TC winced.

{Deal with them attacking me?} Starscream wasn't sure how he could win in a fight against the command trine if he was alone.

{Don't let them get you alone.} Skywarp's voice was stern, unintentionally reading his thoughts again.

{Ok… Do you think they'd deactivate me?} Warp and TC looked at each other again, obviously exchanging information.

{They'd do worse than that.} Warp gave a concerned look to TC who turned away to look into the vast nothingness of space.

{We have to get back.} TC stated miserably.

* * *

D'oh!


End file.
